THE LONGEST WALK 5 - WAR ON DRUGS

A cross-country march that aims to shine a light on drug abuse both on and off Indian reservations reached Riverside County on Monday morning.

“If they're hurting they are in certain circle, they need to leave that circle and join ours,” said Bernice Paipa, co-coordinator for the Southern California leg of the march that started Saturday in La Jolla.

The march, which is scheduled to hit Washington, D.C., in mid-July, has been dubbed The Longest Walk 5 - War on Drugs. It’s the spiritual descendant of similar marches that have been held over the years to raise awareness of issues that affect Native American populations and the nation as a whole, such as methampetamine use and obesity.

The marchers were hosted by the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians on Sunday night and they were scheduled to spend the night at the Barona Resort & Casino on Monday night.

Dozens of people took part in the Temecula-to-Hemet stretch of the march, which included stops in Old Town Temecula and the Promenade mall.

That number is expected to swell Tuesday morning when members of the Barona Band of Mission Indians take part in an approximately 2-mile segment that is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. outside of the casino.

Orlando Vigil of Taos, N.M., said the kickoff event in La Jolla was attended by hundreds of people and the effort has been supported by tribes in San Diego and Riverside counties.

“They all come together,” he said.

Tuesday’s activities include a trek through Lamb Canyon for the “runners” and a visit by the full group to Beaumont’s City Hall. The day closes with a visit to Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon, which will serve as homebase before the group heads to Palm Springs.

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